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Showing posts from March, 2019

Listen Carefully

"And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving giving." Deuteronomy 4:1-2 We tend to chaff at instruction. Rules and regulations are not things we typically get excited about. As parents, we've given many instructions to our children over the years. For the most part they understood the "why" and were even willing to trust us, albeit begrudgingly, when they didn't. There were times, however, where minor things like "Wear a coat" or "Put on sunscreen" were ignored and they experienced the subsequent consequences. Other times, like all of us, they ignored some seriously significant instruction and tasted the bitterness of regret.  In M

Demanding

"Then Moses spoke again to Korah: 'Now listen, you Levites! Does it seem a small thing to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from among all the people of Israel to be near him as you serve in the Lord's Tabernacle and to stand before the people to minister to them? He has given this special ministry only to you and your fellow Levites, but now you are demanding the priesthood as well!" Numbers 16:8-10 "...the ambition of treacherous people traps them." Proverbs 11:6 Growing up, our kids had what we called the "Whiner's Timeout Chair." It was located in the room next to the kitchen and faced the wall. All day long, the chair would be filled and emptied several times. When one of the four girls began the screeching, high pitched whiny voice, off to the chair they'd go. We'd say, "We can't understand you when you're whining. Sit in the chair until you're done and then you can come back and join everyone else

Foundations

 "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. ... But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. ..." Matthew 7:24-29 "When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation." Proverbs 10:25 Our missions team had a clear target for the week: Assemble as many large and stable storage sheds as possible for the families whose homes were destroyed or seriously damaged by a series of tornadoes. The group worked tirelessly inspired by the gratitude of the families and the sense of being used by God to truly make a difference. Each shed came in prefabricated sections. Once the foundation sections were set, squared, secured and level, the rest of the shed went up like clockwork equipped to serve its purpose.  Jesus taught all the time about living a life that was stable, strong, and prepared for impac